He Watched
by saltoftheearth
Summary: Some people are always simply observing.


Disclaimer: i don't own Scrubs or the characters

Author's Note: This is nothing. I just felt like writing it. Meh.

He watched.

He watched his best friend find true happiness and contentment with Carla. Turk was destined for it, and it was no surprise that it seemed to come to him so effortlessly and smoothly. After all, Turk was the very embodiment of effortless and smooth. He watched while two of his closest friends began to raise their first child (with another on the way). He watched the way just having her in their lives brought a light to their eyes that glowed even when they were exhausted and irritable.

He watched his on again/off again girlfriend, Elliot, grow and mature into the beautiful, strong woman he always believed her to be. He watched her go through relationship after relationship, afraid each one would tear another hole in her heart. He watched her carefully for signs of uncertainty the night she told him that Sean had proposed to her and she had readily accepted – and didn't find any. They had run into each other at Starbucks six months ago and had decided to try again. No, literally, they ran into each other. Sean had to be admitted and treated for second-degree burns from his double espresso latte.

He watched his mentor and reluctant father figure finally build a solid and lasting relationship with his ex-wife. He watched joy and peace slowly seep into his eyes and soul even as the man tried in vain to maintain his "miserable bastard" façade. He watched him be the man and father he was afraid he wouldn't be everyday.

He watched as other interns and residents became a part of the Sacred Heart family and slowly took his place as Dr. Cox's right hand man. There was even one he has heard the older doctor call "Newbie" and "Cassandra" several times. He watched as the Janitor found a new plaything to torture on a daily basis.

He watched his "son" grow and change, his hair turning a rich red and his eyes a bright green. He watched Kim walk away, pushing the stroller and waited for her to turn around with a smile to tell him that she was kidding, it was a joke, and that red hair ran in her family.

He watched his older brother fail at his real-estate career, and then the house-flipping career, and then the "pain-free living" clinic after that, and then back to his mother's house and the bar. He watched as Dan's hair grew gray and unkempt and his teeth yellowed. He watched as he put on the pounds from all the beer, and finally gave up on the dream of forever being the High School party-guy that everyone loved all his life. He watched him give up on life and ignore JD's pleas to get up off the couch and make something of himself. He watched as Dan slammed the door in his face, warning him to never speak to him again "or else".

He watched his mother from afar, welcoming home her prodigal son time after time. He watched as she silently encouraged her elder boy to throw away all chances of an independent and happy life by spending the rest of his days under her sagging roof with her. He watched as she manipulated Dan and turned him against him, while she herself methodically shut her baby boy out of their lives. He watched as the family he couldn't help but love but never really belonged to faded away completely.

He watched himself. He watched as his hair began to dull and flatten. He watched himself retreat into the shadows and corners of the world around him. He watched as though he was a curious third party as the light left his eyes and the smile dropped off his face. He watched everyone else closely, just to see if they were watching him. He watched the world move around him and time press on ever forward in sharp contrast to his own unyielding existence. He watched the life he worked so hard to get, and the friends he had always longed for become foreign and out of reach.

He watched with a morbid interest as his health began to decline at an alarming rate. He watched his weight drop off, his hands begin to shake, and his skin begin to thin and become almost translucent. He watched as some nameless doctor in a different hospital drew vials of his most likely contaminated blood for testing. He watched as clumps of his once proud mane came out in the shower every morning. He watched the world grow dim around him, like a fading photograph.

He watched.


End file.
